Mooring Glossary

AHTS: Anchor Handling Tug Supply

AHV: Anchor handling vessel

BOEMRE: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

BSEE: Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

Catenary: Deflections of a mooring line suspended or attached at two points caused by the weight of the mooring line

Chain Locker: A compartment below the vessel’s deck in which mooring chain can be stored

Chase Wire: Length of wire rope used as the primary component when chasing to anchors to unseat or when running out anchors to deploy

Chaser: A ring-like component secured around the mooring wire/chain

Configuration: A listing of mooring components in a specific mooring system, including anchor, wire, chain, connecting links, etc

ConStat: Proprietary software for quantitative risk assessments of traditional moored MODUs & dynamically positioned (DP) MODUS with moorings deployed

DEAP: Analysis of ultimate capacity & trajectory for various anchor types using site-specific soils & coupled mooring line & inverse catenary functions

DEAPMOOR: Proprietary suite of program tools & methods integrated with ANSYS AQWA for advanced dynamic mooring analyses

Del-3DM: Proprietary set of program modules integrated with Orcina OrcaFlex for simulation of high risk rig moves or permanent mooring installations

DP: Dynamic positioning

HCLS: Heave Compensated Landing System

Jewelry: Various components used to connect mooring chain, wire, and anchors

JSA: Job Safety Analysis (or JSEA)

Karm Fork: load securing device found aboard AHTS vessels, typically, a vertical hydraulic ram with fork-shaped appurtenance to accept chain or wire rope

MODU: Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit. A generic term for several classes of self-contained floatable or floating drilling machines such as jackups, semisubmersibles, and submersibles

OIM: Offshore Installation Manager

PCC: Permanent chain chaser

Pop-Up Pins: Pins located near the stern roller of an anchor handling vessel used primarily to secure mooring chain, wire, and other components during mooring operations

RAR: Rig Anchor Release

RMS: Releasable Mooring System

Shark Jaw: A device located near the stern roller of an anchor handling vessel used primarily to secure mooring chain, wire, and other components during mooring operations

Tugger: Small winches typically located forward of the back deck on the port and starboard sides and used to assist in handling smaller loads

Work Wire: shorter length of wire rope, usually attached directly to the winch drum